AmeriCares Emergency Relief Expert
Reports from Earthquake Affected Padang, Indonesia Saturday, October 3 -AmeriCares Emergency Relief Expert, Puji Satrisno, arrived in Padang, Indonesia early this morning (local time) and has
spent the day working with doctors and administrators at the three hospitals in the city to determine how best AmeriCares can help in this time of crushing need. He visited all three
hospitals; the Dr. M. Jamil Hospital, which is the main hospital for the city, was heavily damaged in the earthquake. Satrisno reports the conditions in Padang are very bad. “When I
arrived, there were about 1,000 patients in makeshift tents on the hospital grounds and doctors were doing all they could to save lives and care for the injured. Most of the hospital has been rendered
unusable,” Satrisno reports. After visiting the hospitals, he attended the United Nations (UN) health cluster meeting and was briefed on the situation. Satrisno is actively coordinating
AmeriCares emergency response with the Ministry of Health, the Emergency Crisis Center and local partners in the capital, Jakarta. AmeriCares emergency relief efforts include securing local donations
of medicines and medical supplies from manufacturers in Jakarta, as well as coordinating deliveries of medical assistance and other aid from its distribution warehouses in Stamford, Connecticut and
Amsterdam, Holland. Satrisno will continue to work closely with hospitals and the UN health cluster to collect a list of priority medicines and supplies for immediate delivery. “The city
is eerily dark—there’s no electricity for almost a million people. Most of the hotels have been damaged and are closed,” added Satrisno. There is no Internet connection, so all of
AmeriCares communications with Satrisno are through his mobile device. On Sunday, he is heading to Pariaman, about 50 miles away. Pariaman is reportedly in worse condition than Padang. Learn more about the Indonesian earthquake and other disasters at www.AmeriCares.org. Visit www.AmeriCares.org/donate to give a gift to help people in need. Contact: Peggy Atherlay, Communications Director Phone: 203-658-9626 Email: patherlay@americares.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Rescuers work at night in Ambacang hotel that was destroyed by an earthquake in downtown Padang, Indonesia's West Sumatra province October 3, 2009. The United Nations said more than 1,000 had ...
